Patriots pursue No. 1 seed in AFC playoffs

FOXBORO 
The Patriots entered last night's game against the Houston Texans with an opportunity to make a major power move in the race for the top seed in the AFC playoffs.

And they did just that with their convincing victory.

The win, the Patriots' seventh straight, raised their record to 10-3 and pulled them within a game of the conference-leading Texans (11-2). It also gave them the head-to-head tiebreaker should the two finish with identical records.

In addition, it put the Patriots a game up on the Baltimore Ravens, who are 9-4 and hold the tiebreaker on the Patriots by virtue of their one-point win in Week 3, and allowed them to keep pace with the 10-3 Denver Broncos. The Patriots hold the tiebreaker with the Broncos via their 31-21 victory in Foxboro in Week 5.

The top two teams in the conference receive coveted first-round byes and are guaranteed to host the divisional semifinals.

Hall of Fame festivities
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Patriots will conduct a series of events this week at Gillette Stadium.

Beginning yesterday, the bronze busts of the five Patriots players inducted in the Hall of Fame — Nick Buoniconti, John Hannah, Mike Haynes, Curtis Martin and Andre Tippett — will be on display at The Hall at Patriot Place.

On Saturday, a speaker series event featuring Tippett and Haynes will be held at The Hall from 3 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $25 and include an autograph from each player.

On Sunday, Tippett, Haynes and Martin will serve as honorary captains when the Patriots host the San Francisco 49ers. The Patriots will wear patches commemorating the Pro Football Hall of Fame anniversary during the game.

What's next?
The Patriots will remain in the national spotlight when they face the San Francisco 49ers at 8:20 p.m. Sunday at Gillette Stadium. The 49ers are 9-3-1 and in first place in the NFC West. They're 4-2 on the road with wins over the Packers, Jets, Cardinals and Saints, and losses to the Vikings and divisional rival Rams. The 49ers are 3-0 against the AFC East with a scoring differential of plus-90. The Patriots have won the last three meetings with the 49ers, the most recent being a 30-21 victory Oct. 10, 2008 at San Francisco.

Facts and figures
•The dates and times won't be revealed until April, but the Patriots' opponents for 2013 are basically set. They'll face the Bills, Broncos, Browns, Buccaneers, Dolphins, Jets, Saints and Steelers at home. They'll meet the Bills, Bengals, Dolphins, Falcons, Jets, Panthers, Ravens and the AFC South champion — most likely the Texans — on the road.

•Wes Welker's 25-yard reception in the first quarter extended his streak with at least one catch to 107 consecutive games. That's the fourth-longest streak among active players, behind Tony Gonzalez (192), Larry Fitzgerald (130) and Reggie Wayne (109). Welker had three catches, and needs five more to become the first player in league history with five 100-catch seasons.

•The Patriots are a league-best 43-5 (.896) in December since 2001, including a run of 13 consecutive wins. That ties them with the Cowboys (1968-72) for the second-longest December winning streak in league history behind the Chargers (18, 2006-09). The Patriots also check in fourth, having won 12 straight from 2006-08.

•The Patriots are the second team in NFL history to win at least 10 games in 10 consecutive seasons. The San Francisco 49ers set the league standard by recording double-digit win totals from 1983 to '98. The Patriots' win totals during their run: 14, 14, 10, 12, 16, 11, 10, 14, 13 and 10 and counting.

•Tom Brady is 13-4 (.765) all-time on “Monday Night Football.” Including last night, he has thrown three-plus touchdowns in nine of those games. Brady's best statistical performance on MNF was a 517-yard, four-touchdown effort in a season-opening win over the Dolphins in 2011.

•The Patriots now have scored a league-leading 472 points. It's their sixth straight season with 400-plus points, which is the second-longest streak in league history behind the Chargers, who have done so in eight straight seasons. The Patriots are on pace to finish with 581 points, which would be just shy of the league-record 589 they put up in 2007.